Shaun Nichols
Encyclopedia
Shaun Nichols is employed as a professor in the Philosophy department at the University of Arizona
. He received his PhD. in Philosophy
from Rutgers
in 1992 and his BA in Philosophy from Stanford
. His early work was concerned primarily with questions in theory of mind
. Subsequently, he became one of the major figures in the experimental philosophy
movement and was awarded the Stanton Prize by the Society for Philosophy and Psychology in 2005. He is also currently a member of the Experimental Philosophy Lab at the University of Arizona.
, cultural evolution
, free will
, and cognitive theories of the imagination.
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. He received his PhD. in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from Rutgers
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1992 and his BA in Philosophy from Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. His early work was concerned primarily with questions in theory of mind
Theory of mind
Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one's own...
. Subsequently, he became one of the major figures in the experimental philosophy
Experimental philosophy
Experimental philosophy is an emerging field of philosophical inquiry that makes use of empirical data—often gathered through surveys which probe the intuitions of ordinary people—in order to inform research on philosophical questions This use of empirical data is widely seen as opposed to a...
movement and was awarded the Stanton Prize by the Society for Philosophy and Psychology in 2005. He is also currently a member of the Experimental Philosophy Lab at the University of Arizona.
Work
Nichols current research projects are in experimental philosophyExperimental philosophy
Experimental philosophy is an emerging field of philosophical inquiry that makes use of empirical data—often gathered through surveys which probe the intuitions of ordinary people—in order to inform research on philosophical questions This use of empirical data is widely seen as opposed to a...
, cultural evolution
Sociocultural evolution
Sociocultural evolution is an umbrella term for theories of cultural evolution and social evolution, describing how cultures and societies have changed over time...
, free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
, and cognitive theories of the imagination.
Experimental philosophy
In his work within experimental philosophy, Nichols has addressed questions about cross-cultural differences, free will, intentional action, the nature of moral judgment, and a number of other key philosophical concepts.Authored
- Nichols, S. 2004. Sentimental Rules: On the Natural Foundations of Moral Judgment. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195169348
- Nichols, S. and Stich, S. 2003. Mindreading: An Integrated Account of Pretense, Self-awareness and Understanding Other Minds. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198236092
Edited
- Knobe, J. & Nichols, S. 2008. Experimental Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195323252
- Nichols, S. 2006. The Architecture of the Imagination: New Essays on Pretense, Possibility, and Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199275724
External links
- Shaun Nichols homepage
- Video (and audio) of interview/conversation with Nichols by Will WilkinsonWill WilkinsonWill Wilkinson is a Canadian American libertarian writer. Until August 2010, he was a research fellow at the Cato Institute where he worked on a variety of issues including Social Security reform and, most notably, the policy implications of happiness research. He is currently working on a paper...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...